The Monetary Authority warns of a suspected fraudulent website involving the "Pacific Asian Bank" at www.pabbank.com.

According to the site, Pacific Asian Bank is an investment bank chartered in Canada operating out of Samoa. But the authority has verified with Canadian financial authorities that the bank is not registered.

The website also claims that the bank offers a number of banking and investment services to individuals and corporations around the world.

The authority said Pacific Asian Bank is not authorised under the Banking Ordinance to carry out banking business or take deposits in Hong Kong. It also does not have a representative office in Hong Kong.

The case has been referred to Police for further investigation. Anyone who has dealings with Pacific Asian Bank should contact the Police Commercial Crime Bureau at 2860 5012.

A list of authorised institutions is available on the authority's website. The public can also check the status of any entity in Hong Kong which solicits deposits by calling 2878 8222.